Julia KORNIICHUK
Academic Year:
2025/2026
Field of Study:
Religious Studies
Research Programs:
GCE St. Gallen
IWM for Ukrainian Scholars
Affiliation:
Independent Scholar
Country:
Ukraine
This project examines the intersection of religion and politics in the European Union integration processes of Orthodox-majority countries following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It focuses on how Orthodox religious institutions, discourse, and actors have become more visible in shaping political legitimacy and influencing how EU accession is framed in response to the shifting geopolitical landscape. The notion of an “Orthodox wave” refers to a potential future stage of EU enlargement in which a majority of candidate countries are Orthodox-majority states, and where Orthodox Churches increasingly assert political presence and symbolic authority. The project explores three interconnected aspects: the presence of religious themes in discourse surrounding the EU and its possible enlargement; the transformation of religious rhetoric in anti-EU campaigns; and the role of religious dynamics in Ukrainian-Romanian relations within the broader framework of EU integration. At its core, the project asks: How can Orthodox Churches influence the EU integration process of Orthodox-majority countries? What are the risks of such influence, and can they be effectively mitigated? What role do intra-Orthodox disputes and tensions play in this process, and does religious solidarity manifest within it? These questions frame an inquiry into how religion – largely absent from previous enlargement rounds – has re-emerged as a channel of political influence and a site of contestation within contemporary EU integration debates.